Texas Bid to Screen Athletes Denied Ahead of NCAA March Madness

The NCAA successfully fended off an attempt by the state of Texas that would have forced it to screen athletes to determine their sex.

Judge Les Hatch of the 237th District Court in Lubbock, Texas on Tuesday denied Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s (R) request for a temporary injunction that would’ve required the screening, as the NCAA’s postseason women’s tournament kicks off this week.

Hatch didn’t provide a reason for his decision, which is standard in state court orders.

Paxton sued the NCAA in December for engaging in deceptive practices by marketing sporting events as women’s competitions that include transgender women competitors.

Opposing the injunction, the NCAA said its women’s basketball tournament is “unconnected with the issue of transgender athletes because there is no evidence that a transgender female will participate in the tournament.”

The governing body also updated its transgender participation policy following Paxton’s suit to ban individuals assigned male at birth from competing in women designated competitions. The policy complies with Texas law and a President Donald Trump executive order to ban transgender women from competing in women’s college athletics, it said.

The NCAA is represented by Haynes and Boone LLP.

The case is Texas v. NCAA, Tex. Dist. Ct., No. DC-2024-CV-1835, 3/18/25.